The Rescue

After returning to a room at the inn, I ran out of the inn with nothing but the clothes on my back. Then I sprinted with all my strength toward the inn where I had lived for years.

Adolf’s room was the corner room on the second floor. I briefly greeted the familiar landlady at the front desk and rushed up the stairs in one go.

“Adolf! I’m here!”

“…Come in.”

A creepy voice mixed with anger and pleasure came from inside the room, and I took a deep breath before putting my hand on the door.

When I slowly opened it… Rebecca was there with her mouth gagged with cloth and her hands and feet bound, and Adolf was pressing her down by stepping on her body.

The moment I saw that scene, I nearly leapt at him in rage, but I stopped just in time when I saw the sharp knife Adolf pulled out.

“Don’t move. If you move, this girl dies, got it?”

The knife was pressed against Rebecca’s cheek. Looking closely at Rebecca, even the parts of her body not covered by clothes seemed to have countless wounds. And her face was badly swollen.

“Mmm—! Mmm…!”

“Shut up! Be quiet!”

Rebecca tried to make a sound, probably to tell me something, but Adolf kicked her hard. Seeing that, I clenched my back teeth and tightened my fists.

“…Rebecca, I’m fine. Adolf, what are you trying to accomplish by doing this?”

After smiling at Rebecca, I glared at Adolf, and Adolf’s face instantly twisted with anger.

“Luca… because of you, because of you I was humiliated! I lost the status I built up all this time! It’s all, all your fault…!”

What? I didn’t do anything… Adolf was the one who expelled me on his own, picked a fight with me on his own, and then got beaten and humiliated on his own.

And the ‘status’ he built up was nothing more than being fawned over by a bunch of hangers-on.

That was what I wanted to say, but with Rebecca in Adolf’s hands, I kept my mouth shut.

“So then, what do you want?”

“Hah, that calm attitude of yours pisses me off too…!”

After saying that and glaring at me, Adolf seemed to think of something and grinned unpleasantly with amusement. Then he stomped the floor with the foot that wasn’t pressing Rebecca down.

“For now, come over here. Let me punch you once. Gahahaha! You don’t get a choice, got it? If you care about this girl’s life, hurry up and come here!”

I hesitated slightly at Adolf’s words, but when I saw Rebecca, I made up my mind—

—while pretending, I clenched my fist in triumph internally and began walking toward Adolf step by step.

As long as I could touch even one part of Rebecca’s body, we could go to the Divine Domain together. Once I got Rebecca back, the advantage would be mine.

“Gahahaha! Hurry up and come here!”

“…Alright.”

While keeping my gaze on Adolf as he waved the knife aimed at Rebecca with a vulgar grin, I slowly knelt at Adolf’s feet… and the moment Adolf tensed his body to punch me, I reached my hand toward Rebecca.

Then I activated Divine Domain Interference—

—and successfully retrieved Rebecca.

“Rebecca!! Are you alright!?”

“Luca, you handled that well.”

“Were you watching?”

“Yes. Hurry and use Temporary Peace.”

“I know. But first, this cloth…”

I had left the knife at the inn, so I used the sword I brought with me to carefully cut off the cloth, and Rebecca took a deep breath.

“Rebecca, are you alright!?”

“Cough… cough… I-I’m alright…”

“I’ll untie your hands and feet too, so wait a moment. …I’m really sorry. This happened because of me.”

“No, it’s not Luca’s fault. Adolf is the one to blame… I was just too weak.”

Rebecca said that and moved her cheek—which must have hurt—to give me a smile, probably to ease my feelings.

“Rebecca… thank you so much. I’m really glad I became your companion.”

“Hehe, me too.”

After that, I removed all the cloth binding Rebecca’s hands and feet and knelt beside her lying body. Then I held my hand over Rebecca’s body… and activated Temporary Peace.

The activation of the ability succeeded immediately. A purple haze rose from Rebecca’s body, and at the same time her injuries rapidly healed.

In about ten seconds Rebecca was completely healed, and in front of my eyes floated a fist-sized purple sphere. That sphere crackled as if charged with electricity, while inside it the purple haze swirled violently like a storm.

“That’s amazing… I really healed instantly.”

“Luca, within five minutes.”

“I know. Rebecca, stay here. I’m going to defeat Adolf.”

“Okay, be careful.”

“Of course. Lady Seremees, what’s Adolf doing right now?”

When I asked Lady Seremees, who was peering into a water mirror (a magical viewing surface), she gave me a dark smile and said, “Return right away.”

“He’s just standing there in the room in complete shock. Hehe, what a foolish look.”

“Thank you. Then I’m going.”

After giving Rebecca a reassuring smile and nodding once, I activated Divine Domain Interference together with the purple sphere.